iOS 12.1 Issues: New Update Brings New Features (And New Problems)

Amid all the hype around the new iPad Pros and MacBook Air, Apple has rolled out the iOS 12.1 update to the public. It brings tons of new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes. But people who have installed it have encountered a few iOS 12.1 issues as well. With 12.1, Apple adds dual-SIM support to the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. The phones support a physical SIM and an eSIM, allowing customers to have a home and a work number simultaneously.

iOS 12.1 update brings these features

The iOS 12.1 adds depth control capability to the camera. It means users can now manually adjust the blur in portrait images after having clicked the picture. There are also dozens of new emojis including characters with gray, red, curly, and even no hair. The 12.1 update also brings Group FaceTime feature to iPhones and iPads. The much-talked about feature was supposed to come with iOS 12, but had been delayed by Apple.

Group FaceTime allows you to make FaceTime video calls with up to 32 people. Seeing 32 faces on your smartphone screen can be confusing. So, Apple will automatically highlight the current speaker and resize other participants based on how active they are in the conversation. Apple has also fixed the LTE connectivity issue that the XS and XS Max users had complained about. The new iPhones were getting weak or no LTE signals even in areas where older iPhones used to have strong connectivity.

The update also fixes the so-called BeautyGate. Following the iPhone XS and XS Max launch, users complained that the selfie camera smoothened the skin excessively, making people’s faces look like plastic. The XS and XS Max users were speculating Apple was using some kind of beautification algorithm to give this effect. But the problem was caused by the Smart HR feature, which combines multiple images into one to preserve more detail in shadows and highlights. It was picking a base frame that wasn’t good enough.

Users have faced many iOS 12.1 issues

Enough of bug fixes and new features. Now let’s talk about the iOS 12.1 issues. Folks at Piunikaweb have been looking around on the web to find if users have encountered any iOS 12.1 issues. Turns out, there are many. Just hours after Apple rolled out the 12.1, Spanish researcher Jose Rodriguez found a way to bypass the passcode security on iPhones running 12.1. Rodriguez exploits the FaceTime feature to access the full contact list on an iPhone.

Many people who were on the iOS beta channel noticed that they were getting the notification for the iOS 12 update rather than 12.1. Some of them said even though the notification text says it’s iOS 12, it’s actually the 12.1 update.

For those that don’t see the update and have a beta profile installed (public or dev), uninstall it and reboot. You should see an iOS 12 update that’s really 12.1. Just a text bug. https://t.co/HMeHhEMSGO

Meanwhile, WhatsApp users noticed weird behavior within the messaging app after updating to iOS 12.1. Affected users said going back from a chat causes the bottom menu icons to get displaced for a moment. Users have noticed similar behavior in other apps as well. It’s not yet known whether it is one of the iOS 12.1 issues or the apps themselves are to blame.

Yes, there are many iOS 12.1 issues (maybe some of them yet to be found), but they are nothing compared to problems with the watchOS 5.1 update. Within hours of Apple releasing the watchOS 5.1 update, users took to Twitter, Reddit, and other platforms to complain that the update was “bricking” their Series 4 Apple Watch.

Following a large number of complaints from users, Apple has suspended the watchOS 5.1 update. The company said it had “pulled back the software update as a precaution” because of a “small number of Apple Watch customers experiencing an issue while installing watchOS 5.1 today.” The watchOS 5.1 brought improvements to the Fall Detection system.

Author: Vikas ShuklaAlthough he has a background in finance and holds an MBA, Vikas Shukla is a technology reporter. He has a strong interest in gadgets, gizmos, and science. He writes regularly on these topics. - He can be contacted by email at vshukla@valuewalk.com